Captain Planet Foundation
Worm Your Way Out of This
How can you provide healthy soil for your garden? Study worms, bacteria, and other microorganisms in a lesson about decomposition and organic compost. After discussing what you know about worms and watching a video, watch what worms do...
Curated OER
Building Soil Nature's Way: Exploring decomposition and soil health
Students explore decomposition and soil health by creating their own garden. In this agriculture lesson, students build a "lasagna garden" with organic matter found in the area and plant perennials native to their region. Students are...
Curated OER
Organic and Inorganic Waste
Students conduct a scientific investigation about organic or inorganic waste. In this organic or inorganic waste lesson, students create a compost heap to determine the difference between inorganic and organic waste. Students record...
National Park Service
Reduce Our Carbon Footprint, Let’s Compost!
Roll up your sleeves and get a little dirty with this elementary and middle school compost lesson. All you need is a large plastic container, a couple old newspapers, some organic waste, and a few hundred worms and you're ready to start...
Curated OER
Organic Matter
Written for an agriculture curriculum, this presentation on organic matter is also informative for gardening or horticulture classes. It details the chemical makeup, affecting factors, functions, maintenance, and composting to create a...
Purdue University
Getting the Dirt on Decomposition
Sometimes science requires getting a little dirty. A hands-on lesson explores the idea of decomposition by building a compost structure. Using red worms and dirt, individuals build and collect data on the rate of decomposition. The STEM...
Captain Planet Foundation
Rotting Away
What happens at the end of a plant's life cycle? Show kids the natural way that plants show that they're decomposing, as well as the importance of compost, with a instructional activity about living organisms. After reading Log Cabin by...
Teach Engineering
Dirty Decomposers
Do not let the class just sit and rot. Pupils learn how decomposition and nutrient recycling is important to an ecosystem. Groups design an experiment to determine how environmental conditions affect decomposition. They develop a poster...
Science Geek
Reaction Types
This is one way to get a reaction from your classes! The lesson presents the different reaction types with an explanation, chemical equation model, and examples. The slides include decomposition, single replacement, double replacement,...
Curated OER
Forest Decomposition
Students explore decomposition. Students define and describe components of the decomposition process. Students make a composter in a terrarium. Students record observations and changes weekly, drawing conclusions about the results of...
Curated OER
A Design You’ll Dig: Designing a Habitat for Worms
Young scholars discover how worms contribute to the balance of the environment. In this composting lesson, students study the composting and decomposition processes. Young scholars then create habitats for worms that allow them to do...
Curated OER
The Nitrogen Cycle
The nitrogen cycle is the focus of a well-designed science lesson plan. In it, learners see that plants and animals produce waste products and decompose after death. Many of the waste products include nitrogen which is absobed by other...
Curated OER
De"compost"ition
Learners develop an understanding of the decomposition process and the parameters which influence the rate at which it occurs.
Curated OER
Decomposition, Soil, and Life Cycle Research
Pupils conduct background research on the decomposition process, soil composition, and the life cycle using the resources provided for Internet searches. They work in collaborative groups to research topics as a particular plant, soil...
Curated OER
Compost Lesson
If you are looking for how to introduce elementary environmentalists to the process of composting, here is a comprehensive outline for making it happen. The plan is to set this up at the beginning of a school year in order to observe the...
Curated OER
Science: Fossil of a Carbonized Plant
Learners classify leaves by shape and margins and use them to create models of plant fossils. By using paper over a leaf, they simulate fossilization of organisms onto sedimentary rocks. Following instructions on worksheets, students...
Curated OER
Casual Patterns in Ecosystems
Ecology explorers or beginning biologists view a time-lapse film of decaying strawberries. They discuss how decomposition occurs and what factors might affect the rate of decay. Alone, the lesson plan is lacking engaging attributes....
Curated OER
Seed to Soup Organic Garden
Have your young biologists visit decomposition stations as they explore the process of organic material. This activity involves some set-up as kids will be visiting 13 desks to collect colored paper each representing a different element...
Curated OER
Now You See It, Now You Don't
Students explore organic and inorganic objects. In this environmental lesson students perform a composting experiment using flowers in different soils. Students record their observations.
Curated OER
Soil Treasure Hunt
Learners explore the concept of soil and decomposition. In this soil and decomposition lesson plan, students investigate bags of soil. Learners then learn how animals and other organisms help in the decomposition process.
Curated OER
Layers of the Forest- Leaf Litter
Students conduct an experiment. In this temperate forest lesson, students discuss what kind of animal life can be found in the forest. They read The Magic School Bus Meets the Rot Squad: A Book About Decomposition and complete an...
Curated OER
Buried Treasure
Students examine the role of micro and macro organisms in the decomposition process. They record their observations and discuss. They also read a book about decomposition.
Curated OER
Composting Conundrum
Students research cafeteria composting. In this composting instructional activity, students design a vessel that would allow the cafeteria staff to collect food scraps for composting. Then students build a prototype and present it to the...
Curated OER
Let's Build a Worm Bin
Students explore the process of decomposition. In this ecology and measurement instructional activity, students prepare a worm home to be used for vermicomposting. Students weigh a group of worms and the added food, recording this...